Disambiguation
by CoffeeandKush
Summary: Sheldon has never been one to do what he didn't want to do and yet he finds him following friends who act more like enemies and a relationship he never wanted or asked for. It's time to clear up a little confusion. Shenny
1. Chapter 1

So, yeah, here ya' go.

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Sheldon likes having friends. It was something he never had growing up. He was bullied for simply being different, for being brilliant. Once he entered college he thought to fit in he had to assimilate to the attributes of others to be accepted. It ended disastrously when one of his 'friends' humiliated him in front of the class. He later learned they were pretending to be nice to him just to hurt him. It was that moment that he decided to never change himself for the friendship or acceptance of others, and that any alterations he made to his own personality or boundaries was because it would also benefit him.

Then he met Leonard. Although he teased him about his idiosyncrasies, he seemed to genuinely want to be his friend. Then came Howard and Raj and he thought he had formed the beloved connection of friendship and companionship that other people search for, deeming Leonard his best friend. But that only lasted for so long. Leonard longed to be the alpha of the group when he was a natural beta. When he started to date Penny, he thought it elevated his status in their social circle. Things started to change. Leonard started to change. He whined incisively more than usual and did anything to try and alter their usual routine to impress Penny so that he could achieve coitus.

Sheldon allowed it. He knew their relationship was one that would burn like an ember and eventually die out, smothered by Leonard's neediness and Penny's desire for someone to encourage and challenge her. And it did, just as he predicted. He thought then that the paradigm of their social circle would go back to normal with the exception of Penny of course. Only he didn't factor in that Penny would become a dear friend to him. She took care of him when he was sick, sung soft kitty to him, and made his favorite meal. He called Leonard his best friend. They've been friends for five years now. But, when he added up the pros and cons he found Penny to be a better friend of them all. Sure, she was chaotic, messy, believed in hokum, didn't have a PhD, and made fun of him, too, but she never asked him to change who he was, never sabotaged his work, never slipped drugs in his drink. She never made him feel like a bug that needed to be exterminated.

So when Leonard started dating Priya and he told Sheldon to stop spending so much time with Penny, stating that he's his best friend and he should have his back, he found he felt very uncomfortable. After all, he considered Penny to be his friend too. As of late, he'd call her his best friend before he did Leonard. He considered Leonard's plight for a month only to find himself alone on a Friday night because Howard was with Bernadette, Raj was at the movies with Stuart, and Leonard was with Priya, and he had no plans of spending any time with his 'girlfriend' Amy. They were supposed to be eating Chinese food and having vintage video game night. Instead he was sitting in his spot nursing a cup of now cold honey herbal tea. He heard steps coming up the stairs and the door of 4B open and close signaling Penny was home from work. He found himself up and at the door before the movement registered, surprising himself. It was an odd feeling. He didn't feel lonely, rather he preferred her company. In a lot of ways Penny's cornhusker ways reminded him of home. He'd never admit that to her. He didn't have to pretend with Penny. She accepted him for who he is, regardless of how weird she thinks (and often states) he can be.

So he finds himself with an important decision to make. Should he continue to be loyal to Leonard even though he believes he no longer has reasons to be loyal to him or should he continue his friendship with Penny? Above all else, he's tired of compromising himself for others. He's tired of doing things he doesn't want to do, tired of a relationship he never asked for, tired of being expect to uphold the standards of friendship without them returning the favor. He's still waiting to be accepted for who he is.

His decision is made quickly and as he unplugs his Nintendo 64 and grabs the order menu for Golden Dragon he feels not a shred of remorse.

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A short teaser if you will... Don't know where I'm going with this. I'll see you later.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read the first chapter. I am very appreciative of the reviews, good and bad. To those of you who think you 'wasted your time' reading my story. You're very welcome.

I was not planning to make this a Shenny story and had put friendship as my main genre and you went sort of nuts, assuming it was a Shenny story from jump. (Talking to bashers) Originally, I had planned on a Sheldon and Penny friendship with later working on their romances with Amy and Leonard but you were dissing the story straight out the gate. How unfortunate that you were impatient and incapable of interpreting key words used like _friendship_. So much like this generation...

What they hell, let's make it a Shenny. I've already got flamers. As they say, I have arrived!

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Knock, Knock, Knock

"Penny"

Knock, Knock, Knock

"Penny"

Knock, Knock, Knock

"Penny"

She had not heard his signature knocks at his door for more than a month. She was happy and annoyed by that fact all the same. She had really missed him. She had many friends over the years. Lots of girlfriends who were only interested in going to bars, drinking, and picking up cute guys and lots of guy friends who were only interested in getting out of the 'friend zone' with her. Sheldon had become her friend in a different way. He made her want to be a better her. It was unusual for her to be friends with someone like him. He was nerdy, obsessive, and incapable of being normal. Hell, she wasn't sure she knew what normal was these days. Moping around over a man who wasn't a very good boyfriend but wasn't a terrible one either (was just simply there) and drowning her lack of career and financial troubles in as much liquor as she possibly could wasn't normal. She was sure of that.

"Penny, may I come in? I know you're there and if you insist on ignoring me I will continue to knock. I'm very persistent."

She rolled her eyes fondly. He was just as annoying as ever. She opened the door to see him standing on the other side looking sheepish with his game set held carefully in his arms.

"What's the gist, physicist?"

"Good evening Penny.' He shuffled his feet nervously. "I would like to speak to you if you have a moment."

"My evening's all free Moonpie."

He looked out of place for a moment as he shuffled around, looking lost after not being inside her apartment for so long. He gingerly moved a cream-colored bra before sitting in his spot and carefully placing his console on her cluttered coffee table. He wanted to mention something about the state of her apartment but thought it better to berate her after they were friends again.

"Penny, may I ask you a hypothetical question?"

"Sheldon, I know you didn't come here to ask hypotheticals."

"Humor me."

"Fine, knock yourself out."

"If I was your best friend and you started dating our neighbor across the hall, even though I advised you not to, then he broke up with you, would you ask me not to be his friend anymore, even if you had started dating someone else?"

Penny signed.

"That's quite the hypothetical sweetie."

He cleared his throat. "I suppose. I'm asking for a friend."

She laughed despite the situation.

"Is that what Leonard did, sweetie?"

"I thought it was because he was still nursing his bruised ego and needed time to adjust to being single again. But, then he started dating Raj's sister but still insisted on me limited my interactions with you. Leonard is my best friend, so I obliged. Recently, I have been reconsidering my decision. I wish to apologize to you Penny. You are my friend and I should not have turned my back on you. I realize that I may be annoying to you at times, but you have never turned your back on me. I believe that is a mark of a true friend."

She forced her tears not to overflow or he would go all wacky and think he'd done something wrong. The Sheldon Cooper she knew never apologized for _anything_. If he did, it was because someone else 'suggested' he did and it was with trepidation that he did so. If he was apologizing on his own, it was because he really felt bad.

She was upset at first when Leonard started dating Priya and maybe even a little jealous. Priya who's beautiful and smart and has an amazing career while she was still working as a waitress, barely making the bills, drinking more than ever, and pulling the odd commercial here and there. However, after she got over things, she started to put her life in perspective. She didn't want to burn out and turn into an alcoholic waitress that's been working at the Cheesecake Factory for over 20 years with delusions about what she's become and always reminiscing about the younger her, settling for any lackluster guy who'd have her.

She's dimmed down her vision of a glamorous Hollywood career with Versace gowns, dazzling diamonds, and the Brad Pitt of her dreams, but she still wanted to act. She wanted to get behind the big screen and wow herself. She wanted to prove her family wrong, prove her small-minded small town wrong, prove Leonard wrong—she wanted to prove herself wrong. Because, lately, her aspirations of being an actress have seemed like a far-fetched fairy tale even to her.

"I forgive you sweetie and no matter what the little hobbit says you'll always be my friend. It was only a matter of time before I banged down your door and demanded you spend time with me."

He rolled his eyes but she noticed his shoulders sag with relief. "That is very reminiscent of your character."

"Damn straight!"

That sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Penny eyed the electronic he'd bought with him. "Wanna eat some Chinese food and get your ass kicked?"

"Penny, Penny, Penny, while you are an adversary opponent in Halo, we are going to be playing Mario Kart 64 of which I have been hailed king. Therefore, it is I who will be doing the ass kicking."

"Bring it on Moonpie."

"Consider it brought."

Between the two of them, they ate dumplings and a _pu pu_ platter (which Penny was excited about because cheese!) cashew chicken, ginger beef, and lots of vegetable fried rice. Sheldon taught her how to properly use chopsticks even though he refuses to eat with them. After playing a pretty even game, her seven to his eight, (Penny insists that she only lost that first game because she had to get use to the controls. It doesn't stop Sheldon from giving a victorious whoop.) They broke open the fortune cookies, tossing the flimsy slips of paper away and eating the crisp shells with a cup of tea.

Sheldon ignored all her protests against him cleaning her apartment before he left. If she was being honest, she didn't mind. But she refused to move off the couch so he had to work around her. She was full of good food, she had enough left for lunch tomorrow, and that was the most fun she'd had all week. Once she decided she had laid on the couch for way to long and her shoulder started to cramp, she hoisted herself up to get ready for bed. One of the fortune cookie papers was stuck to her thigh.

 _Hidden in a valley beside an open stream-This will be the type of place where you will find your dream._

She rolled her eyes and threw the paper to the floor. She hated those things. They never made sense.

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I hope you enoy!


	3. Chapter 3

You guys! Thank you for continuing to read and review. I apologize for taking so long to update, my time is greatly monopolized by little ones. I was going to address guest reviewers but I don't see the point any longer.

I was almost about to give up on this. The story was nearly done but I lost my USB so I have to write it over. I kept feeling like I was leaving some things out of this chapter and I was annoyed the entire time writing it. I hope you like it.

Enjoy!

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Penny was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. It was just after ten in the morning and she was wide awake. The newspaper she ran downstairs to get was scattered around the room forgotten. She was desperate, and that was something she was never ashamed to admit. She was desperate for Liam Harper to like her in 9th grade. She was desperate to leave Omaha. She was desperate to leave Kurt. But, none of that compared to how desperate she was to leave the Cheesecake Factory.

The problem was she didn't know what else to do. She didn't have any delusions about how smart she is. She wasn't dumb but she wasn't smart like her brainy neighbors. There was a reason beautiful blonde haired girls came from the country to Hollywood and became waitresses. Being a waitress was practical. It was easy to do, a quick job to get, and provided tips. Besides, she was sure she wasn't the only one who thought that their next big break was right around the corner. She just _knew_ that it wouldn't take more than six months before she was making headlines on the big screen. Those six months turned into three years.

For a while, she didn't mind. Penny was always a long hauler when it came to working. She loved getting to know her co-workers and building credibility with her boss but it was no longer worth it. The pay sucks, the tips were okay, and the hours were brutal at times. She could work her schedule and pick up extra shifts and on her best days it was only enough for her rent and electricity. There were still other bills, food, personal hygiene, dept, cell phone, and others things she had to take care of. Her car is shitty and she was tired of mooching off the guy's Wi-Fi.

Not to mention she was stressed. And, when she was stressed, she looked for something to drink. Penny knew she was one bottle away from being an alcoholic. One habit that she picked up from her father was to lose her problems in the bottom of a bottle. She could remember being a little girl watching her father saying she would never do that and from the moment she had her first sip she's been guzzling ever since. Her job, lack of money and career all stresses her out. So she drinks until she can't remember any of it and hopefully find a guy to fuck her into oblivion. All of these things are bad habits she was trying to leave behind.

She sat up quickly in the bed then, knocking her phone to the floor. She remembered that she had a manager. Well, technically he wasn't her manager but he was a manager. Once in a while he'd call Penny with a job he was sure she'd get no problem. It was how she landed that hemorrhoid commercial. But, she was unsure if she should call him or not. He had this unspoken rule of 'don't call me, I'll call you'.

She hesitated briefly. He answered on the fourth ring.

"Andre, state your business."

"Hey, Andre, it's Penny."

"Penny? I don't know no Penny."

She almost forgot that he was sometimes a jerk. Almost.

"It's me, Penelope. We met at that party. I walked in on you and you were—"

Andre is gay. Penny met him at a party with Kurt. She drank too much and Kurt was feeling up some floozy in the corner. She needed to sit down so her head would stop spinning when she walked into a bedroom where she saw Andre sitting on the bed and a really hot guy on his knees giving him head.

"Oh, Penny! How are you doing sweet cheeks."

"Good, how are you?"

"Same shit, different day. I don't have any jobs for ya' at the moment."

"I was looking for something different."

"Different, eh? Okay what kind of porn are you looking for? You want some guys to run a train on ya? You want some of that real romantic shit where it's silk sheets and soft jazz playing? You want a threesome? A guy and a girl, two girls, two guys? I got everything you need."

"I'm not looking for fucking porn Andre!"

"Whoa hotstuff. You ain't gotta give me the business. Usually when you actresses come to old Uncle Andre it's cause you've had it up to here with this acting business and you're ready for some fast money and quick fame. "

"Yeah, well, you've got the wrong girl."

"Alright I hear ya. Andre's a jackass. You tell me what I can do for you sweetness."

"I still want to be an actress but I'm looking for something different than what I normally go for. It's not working anymore."

"So you want more of a Buffy than a Joanna type of role?"

"Sort of, I can beat the shit out of someone on camera. Anything outside of the cookie cutter blonde bombshell roles I've been looking for."

"What's your definition of anything beauty?"

"If I have to take my clothes off, degrade myself, or be treated like a walking vagina, then it's a no-go."

"Okay, I think I have something you'd be interested in. Well, the price will interest you at least. I gotta run. But you'll hear from me soon."

"Thank you Andre."

"No problem sweetness."

She sat the phone down nervously. Andre was always a surprising person. Who knew what he'd send her way. But, then again, he's never let her down. Every role he's sent her was a hit and paid more than one bill. She was willing to trust him on this one. She went into the kitchen to heat up dinner from last night.

It wasn't too early for lunch, was it?

XxxX

Rajesh didn't know whether to be impressed, terrified, or to just huddle quietly in a corner and watch so he did all three. Sheldon had wheeled in several white boards and was quickly filling them all with equations he couldn't understand or piece together. He'd made several comments or tried to make conversation but to no avail. It was as if he didn't exist in this room. Periodically the guys would appear on the other side of the locked door. The first time he moved to open it Sheldon gave him a look that would make Miranda Priestly proud. Frozen in terror, feigning calm, he watched as Sheldon walked over, closed the blinds, and went back to his boards.

Sheldon has always had a commanding presence about himself but this was ridiculous. He's been holding his pee for the last hour and was forlornly watching a bag of potato chips he'd brought with him, knowing the sound would probably get him cursed to the darkest pits of Naraka. He was considering leaving for the rest of the day.

"The incessant tapping of your foot is proving to be greatly irritating."

Raj jumped from the sudden noise in the otherwise quiet room. He looked up to see Sheldon giving him a pinched look. He didn't even know his foot was tapping.

"I have to pee."

"Then why are you still standing there. You don't need my permission to relieve yourself."

He flew to the door and half way down the hall, he heard it close and the click of the lock. Yeah, he could just take the rest of the day off. No one would notice.

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Again so sorry people. I feel like Sheldon when he got sick, I gotta move, work is busy, and I'm just standing here like everything's just fine. Hopefully it won't be two more months before you hear from me.


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